


And All Manner Of Things

by Chanter



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bravery, F/M, Gen, Lightning - Freeform, Major Character Injury, Musical references everywhere, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, Superpowers, Temporary Character Death, akumatization aftermath, awesome Luka Couffaine, awesome Mylène Haprèle, complicated feelings, mouse!Mylène Haprèle, spirituality, sweetheart Nino Lahiffe, time loop aftermath, time loops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:35:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chanter/pseuds/Chanter
Summary: Now he's going to nail the take or die trying.Not part of an established series, and intended to track canon so far.
Relationships: Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine & Nino Lahiffe, Luka Couffaine & Sass (Miraculous Ladybug), Mylène Haprèle & Kagami Tsurugi
Kudos: 9





	And All Manner Of Things

No, please--please, that was--Multiflora falling with a whimper--no, that is not supposed to happen, please, that can't happen, take that from the top because it's not going to happen while he's around, never, never. "Second chance!" 

This loop's barely begun - it's his third blurring into his fourth, as he lands back at Chat Noir's side like he's a record spinning in reverse, riding the turntable to the beginning of the track - and he knows what to do this time, he knows, he's sure, he's seen it in a trio of opportunities untried, a triad of anti-lyrics written in unplayable events (please, God, please, Rena Rouge barely moved once she hit the deck, Multiflora dove directly in front of Ryuko and Carapace was howling--never, never again), and now he's going to nail the take or die trying, so help him God, so help him Euterpe, so help him Sass. 

He has moments, heartbeats, between reset and action - Surge Projector, Mireille-transposed, gives them precious little time to think around her lightning lashes - but he's seen where the bald iron rod she's swinging lands three times now, seen it pummel empty air on its way to two teammates and one antenna tower support, seen its jagged end crackle to life before it hits home, and before again, before, before. "I know what you do." He doubts anyone hears him, doubts even Surge Projector/Mireille hears him, suspects only Sass can hear him and he'll owe his kwami more than meals after this, shrieks his own guilty heart, for the torment of watching from the inside; Viperion dives forward on a twisting lunge that his serpentine traits alone allow him to pull off, sprawls across the (this time, this time, in this time) uncharged end of the akuma's weapon with all the weight and momentum he can bring to bear and hears Surge Projector screaming furious curses as her grip slips. The rasping metal edge doesn't touch his coat or vest but tears uneven lines across the junction of neck and shoulder where his collar can't stop it, slides harmlessly over his mask from jaw's corner to cheekbone, barely clips his left ear and then topples away to the rooftop with a clatter just as a baton-aided shadow leaps over his head and something else - the life preserver, Ladybug's Lucky Charm again - swings in from a direction he can't quite pinpoint at its start and clamps Surge Projector's arms to her sides. 

Chat Noir is roaring, "Cataclysm!" and Viperion is laughing, giddy with sheer relief and utterly unconcerned with the tears in his eyes, as a tiny purple butterfly flaps free of Surge--no, Mireille's formerly malfunctioning mic, its static halo dissipating as Ladybug's yo-yo snags it out of midair. His vision blurs; he blinks, wordless and wobble-kneed and still laughing soundlessly despite his wet cheeks, as someone snatches the black-spotted inner tube off the now thoroughly confused substitute weather girl, and he watches, bemused, as the blood spatter on his left sleeve vanishes amid a swarm of friendly magical beetles. Then, "Dude!" Carapace shouts, "get over here!" and he's grabbed in a one-armed hug that's gentler by far than its owner's joyful voice would suggest. He trips halfway over nothing, comes along. 

Rena Rouge is cheering, flinging both arms carelessly into the air and grinning fit to light her entire mask from the inside. Multiflora's only one of herself again, no scorch marks anywhere, and is looking frankly awestruck by everything including--no, not including one moment of daring, though she's had at least three more lasting episodes of bravery to her name tonight. Chat Noir is positively bouncing. Ladybug and Ryuko have the dazed Mireille steadied between them, and Viperion--Luka. Viperion is. Well. 

Yes he is. 

They all are. They're all well, that's the thing. And Viperion knows Sass is about to alert him to his countdown continuing but just... he just needs to take in the truth of that one for a little while. He must be almost panting, chuckling his dizzy relief at what never happened, never happened thank you lord, thank you Euterpe, thank you Sass, about in Carapace's ear, but Carapace hasn't thrown him off yet. 

Just... just give him another minute.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt, via the 3SF (three-sentence ficathon) over on DW, was 'bloodied but still laughing'. My brain seized on it and went for gold-hearted still waters, and this was the result. I'll do something that sticks to three sentences later. :) 
> 
> Multiflora is absolutely a nod to planting trees down by the river, by the way. I was thinking of multiflora roses. And Euterpe, for those unaware, is the muse of music.


End file.
